


A Brother's Love

by logicaltribbles



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Drama, Drowning, Family, Gen, Heavy Rain - Freeform, Kidnapping, Murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-26 01:57:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3832756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/logicaltribbles/pseuds/logicaltribbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"How far are you prepared to go to save someone you love? Five origami figures. Each figure is a trial. Each trial reveals letters. The letters reveal an address." Tadashi would do anything for his little brother. Now he has to prove it. After all: What is love if it isn't sacrifice? {BH6/Heavy Rain AU}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Heavy Rain

**Prologue: Heavy Rain**

_“The rain to the wind said,_

_You push and I’ll pelt.’_

_They so smote the garden bed_

_That the flowers actually knelt,_

_And lay lodged–though not dead._

_I know how the flowers felt.”_

_― Robert Frost_

Tadashi Hamada had always loved the rain. Even as it pelted the windshield, the heavy rhythm was hypnotic, white noise to aid his imagination. It wasn’t often that he got this kind of relaxation. Especially with…

“Oh, Hiro! Don’t take that apart, that’s your brother’s!” Cathy Hamada chided her younger son from the passenger seat. “Tadashi, take your robot away before Hiro ruins it.”

The ten year old lazily lifted his forehead from the chilly window and peaked at the toddler next to him. Hiro had indeed gotten a hold of his toy robot, and was attempting to unscrew the head. The three year old ceased his tinkering and fixed his huge brown eyes on his brother in an obvious attempt to feign innocence. Tadashi simply smiled and ran his hand’s through the birds nest that was Hiro’s hair.

“It’s alright mom. Hiro is better with my toys than I am.”

“Dashi, no! You fingers is getting’ caught in da tangles!” Hiro protested in diction far advanced for his age.

“Well, maybe if you brushed your hair…”

“Nooooo!”

“Boys! Please! It’s a small car!” Their father laughed from behind the wheel.

“Sorry, Dad.” Tadashi responded.

“Dashi started it!” Hiro called. Tadashi gasped in mock betrayal.

“I can’t believe you would sell me out like that.” Hiro simply stuck out his tongue and went back to fiddling with the robot that did not belong to him in the first place, and Tadashi was left alone with the rain once more. With a small shake of his head, the elder brother returned to his daydreams. All was peaceful for the moment. For the last time in a long while.

“Toushiro! Look out!” He heard his mother shriek. Mom was usually so calm, why would she yell? Dark eyes shot open, and were met with a blinding light. Before Tadashi’s mind could even register just what was happening, he was strained against the seat-belt in an attempt to throw himself over his younger brother’s car seat. There was light, mom was yelling, there was danger, and he had to protect Hiro.

More yelling, tires squealing, and a new sound: the clash of metal on metal. A sickening crunch and the steady heavy beat of the rain, wrapping his arms tightly around Hiro and darkness. That was all he could remember after that.

Tadashi Hamada has hated the rain ever since.


	2. Brothers

**Chapter 1: Brothers**

_"Success is not built on success. It’s built on failure. It’s built on frustration. Sometimes its built on catastrophe."_

_-Sumner Redstone_

_11 years later…_

“Mmm…hm?” Deep brown eyes squinted open and attempted to blink out the offending sunlight. Wait, no, not sunlight… Screen light? Tadashi groaned as he lifted his upper body onto his forearm as he got his bearings. Yes, it was the glow of a computer screen, or multiple computer screens. He had fallen asleep in the garage-turned-not-so-secret-laboratory that he shared with his younger brother. Speaking of the little dork, where was he? Tadashi’s muscles ached in protest as he pushed himself upright. Once he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he noticed a pair of feet and a familiar mop of dark hair peeking out from behind the multiple recycle bins lined up in the middle of the room.

That’s right. He must have fallen asleep while helping Hiro with his SFIT showcase project. Then again, help was probably too strong a word. Hiro was doing a great job all on his own. Since that final lightbulb went off in that thick skull of his, the young prodigy had been working on autopilot, programming and tinkering at a speed that amazed even Tadashi. The older brother was simply there for moral support, and occasionally to stick a bowl of ramen under the kid’s nose so he remembered to eat.

No, Hiro certainly didn’t need any help in the form of smarts. Tadashi had accepted that a long time ago. He was just happy that his little brother was finally putting his genius towards something productive (and legal).

Finally standing up, Tadashi ran a hand over his face, noted that he needed a shave ASAP, and made his way across the room to his brother. The fourteen year old had fallen asleep in yet another ridiculous position, with his feet propped up on the desk and his head lolling off the back of the chair. That position would undoubtedly leave him sore that day. Still, Tadashi couldn’t help the smirk that spread from his sleepy face.

“Hey! Wakey wakey little brother!” Tadashi called as he rolled the garage door open, bathing the room in a dim clouded light. A groan of protest emerged from the younger as he rolled over to hide his face, effectively falling out of the swivel chair.

“What the hell-”

“What was that?”

“Heck, nerd?” Hiro corrected, not wanting to go fishing for cash to put into the swear jar this early in the morning.

“That’s what I thought you said.” Tadashi responded. “It’s morning, sunshine.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Hiro groaned. “Ugh. Can it not be?”

“When did you get to sleep last night?” The older brother asked. Hiro pursed his lips in thought as he attempted to climb back onto the chair in his half-conscious state. “I don’t know? Maybe three…” His response was punctuated with a long yawn, “Three thirty?”

Tadashi shrugged. That was about average for the nocturnal little beast. And he understood all too well how easy it was to get caught up in a project and go for days without sleep.

“And you’re tired? I expected more from you, Hiro.”The man joked, stretching some more, “Anyway, I’ll grab us some breakfast. You want coffee? And no, no energy drinks.”

“Fine. Just put a ton of sugar in it.” Another yawn.

“Yeah, yeah.” Tadashi laughed and turned to head into the cafe.

“Wait!” Hiro called after him, and Tadashi leaned his upper half back into the garage.

“You, um…” Hiro scratched at the back if his head, “You had another blackout last night. Just thought you would want to know. I brought you over to the couch, but there really wasn’t much else that I could do.”

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed. Tadashi could not bring himself to look Hiro in the eye. For eleven years now, the head trauma Tadashi sustained in the crash that killed their parents resulted in blackouts. He didn’t even know how to explain them. One moment he was going about life as usual, the next he was waking up somewhere completely unfamiliar. At first they were more frequent, and Aunt Cass took her nephew straight to the hospital. When no remaining physical trauma was found, she insisted Tadashi attend therapy. After a while, the number of occurrences decreased and they became easier to hide. So, the older Hamada hid them from his beloved aunt. He knew that Aunt Cass struggled financially, and the last thing he wanted to do was put more on her already overflowing plate.

Most of the time, Tadashi could sense when one was approaching, and he would excuse himself before he collapsed in plain sight. But occasionally the headache and disorientation came on too suddenly. Luckily for him, Hiro was always around to save the day. His little brother had his back, just like he had his little brother’s. Still, Tadashi couldn’t help the guilt weighing on his shoulders. He was supposed to look out for Hiro. Not the other way around.

“…I’m sorry.” This was all that Tadashi could manage.

“Seriously dude, it’s okay.” Hiro shrugged, “Don’t worry about it. You look after me all the time. Let me return the favor every once and a while. Or just consider it compensation for all those grey hairs I gave you during my bot-fighting days.” Hiro attempted to lighten the mood with his trademark gap-toothed grin and Tadashi let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding.

“Okay. Fine. But you’re still getting an extra doughnut.”

“Won’t hear me complaining.”

* * *

 

 

A few hours and many snacks later, the clouds became darker and the scent of rain was heavy in the air. Not that it made much of a difference for two geniuses who spent all day indoors anyway. Both boys were glued to a holographic image of what would soon be a neuro-transmitter, intent on fine tuning the wiring so it could synchronize man and machine. Neither was expecting visitors. So Honey Lemon’s hug nearly made them jump out of their skin.

“Hi guys!” She greeted as she draped a slender arm around each brother’s shoulders.

“Wha-?!” Hiro jumped. Tadashi simply laughed and returned the embrace.

“Hey, Honey Lemon! You didn’t tell me you guys would be stopping by today.” He gestured to Gogo and Wasabi, who were only a few paces behind. Gogo grabbed an extra chair and sat, arms folded over the back as usual.

“Not like you would have answered your phone.” And the signature bubble pop.

“Yeah. We figured you guys could use a little pick-me-up for working so hard.” Wasabi added, “So…” The man held up three large pizza boxes with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Sweet! Food break!” Hiro wasted no time in busting open a box and chowing down.

“Oh!” Honey Lemon bounced towards the pizza on her high heels, “Freddy said he would be over a little late. He’s got something to show us!”

“Which has me more than a little worried.” Wasabi added as he pulled out an extra napkin to wipe the excess grease off his slice.

“Oh, no!” Tadashi laughed, “Remember the last time Fred had something ‘amazing’ to show us? We wound up-”

“Yeah, I’d rather not think about it, thanks.” Gogo interrupted.

Hiro’s eyebrows arched in curiosity as he massaged a crick in his neck. He was debating if he really wanted to ask, when-

“Ey! Mein amigos!” The man himself literally slid into the garage. “Fear not, Fred is here!”

“So be terrified.”

“C'mon, Gogo. You know you love me. Now, gather round my little nerdies, and prepare to be amazed…” Fred continued his monologue, “As you all know, my dad has really close ties with Kreitech. Well! He was able to pull some strings and… Voila!” With his usual dramatic flair, Fred whipped out his fantastic new discovery. All was quiet, but not with awestruck wonder.

“Well… nice shades.” Hiro shrugged, causing the rest of the group to chuckle, save for Gogo who popped her gum in boredom. But Fred was not discouraged.

“Not so, my skinny little friend, not so. On the outside, they appear to be a pair of reasonably spiffy sunglasses. But! When I put them on…” Fred slid the glasses on and yanked a single glove over his right hand. “Behold!”

“A half-assed Michael Jackson impression.” Gogo completed, causing Wasabi to nearly choke on his pizza.

“No!” The shaggy haired male defended, “Don’t you- oh. No. Of course you can’t. Here, try 'em on for yourself.”

Gogo simply rolled her eyes and held out a hand for Fred to place the gear in. He did, and she put them on. After a moment, Gogo’s jaw fell open in uncharacteristic awe.

“Woah.” She said. “Not bad… at all.” She made some swiping and tapping motions with her hand as if touching an invisible screen. At this point, the entire group was eager to see. If Gogo was impressed, then whatever it was must have been a sight to behold.

“Hurry up, Gogo, I wanna see!” Hiro whined after another minute. A few more seconds of silence passed, and Gogo made a sound of acknowledgement and reluctantly handed the tech over to the shorter male. Hiro put it on, bouncing on the balls of his feet, and gasped in amazement. “Wow! Fred, this is amazing! What is it?”

“She’s a brand new piece of tech called ARI. That stands for Added Reality Interface.”

“Wow Freddy,” Honey said, “That sounds amazing!”

“'Course it does. Anyway, it’s still in development, but it’s supposed to be some sort of evidence detection system. It records all sorts of cool stuff that go unnoticed by the non-super eye, and scans em’. Kinda like Tadashi’s marshmallow man.”

“Baymax.” Tadashi rolled his eyes with a smile.

“Yeah, that! Not to mention it lets you hang out in freaking outer space! Well, virtually at least. How cool is that? ”

“What? No way!” Hiro exclaimed.

“Yes way! Clap!” Hiro did so, then made a few more swiping motions and grabbed an invisible object from midair. “Now throw it at Wasabi’s face!”

“Dude!” Wasabi shrieked and reflexively threw his arms up in front of his face.

“Woah! Oh my God, I’m on Mars!” That did it.

“Ok, genius. This I gotta see.” Tadashi tapped his brother’s shoulder and the messy haired teen frowned deeply, but handed over the tech anyway. No doubt the prodigy had photocopied everything he had seen into his brain and was already at work dreaming up ways to make his own virtual reality investigation tech.

To say he was amazed would be an understatement. ARI provided so much information that there was no way for Tadashi to absorb it all at once. When the glasses identified a chemical compound, odor particles- anything- a blue icon would appear next to it. All he had to do was tap it with the gloved hand, and the icon expanded into a box of text explaining any known information on the subject. Tadashi clapped his hands together, and when he pulled them apart, multiple holographic spheres flew from the space created. He grabbed the closest sphere- one stamped with the picture of a wave- and squeezed it with the gloved hand. Amazingly enough, it was tangible. A large grin slid onto his face as he threw the ball to the ground. Iit splashed onto the ground, literally turned into water, and from that puddle his surroundings were rearranged into an absolutely breathtaking scene. Sunlight reflected on the ground, and when Tadashi looked up to inspect it, he was met with various species of coral and seaweed. He was underwater! Looking to the sky, he could see the waves sloshing above him, causing the sunlight to ripple over his surroundings. Needless to say, it was a while before Honey or Wasabi got a turn.

* * *

 

Once the ARI-induced excitement had died down and the pizza was nothing but a memory, Hiro set back to work on his microbots. He had given the group a run-down of them the other day, and other than the occasional 'Looking good, Hiro’ or 'Impressive, kid’, there was nothing more they could do. The project had to be his own, after all.

Rain had begun to fall outside, so no one was eager to leave. Especially Wasabi, who gazed out at the streets mournfully. Tadashi noticed his friend’s somber attitude and gently nudged Wasabi’s much larger shoulder with his own.

“Hey. What’s up? You seem kind of off.” Wasabi was silent for a moment, his mouth set in a thin line.

“It’s just… Nah, man. I don’t wanna kill the mood.” Wasabi waved his friend off, but Tadashi was having none of it.

“Wasabi, you can tell me anything. C'mon dude. No one else is even paying attention.” It was true. The two were sitting on the beat up sofa in the corner while Hiro worked away on his invention. The others were a few feet away from the teen; Fred was rambling on about his invisible sandwich revelation while both girls looked on, slightly concerned for his sanity. Tadashi tried again.

“Wasabi-”

“Okay. Alright.” Wasabi broke his usual posture to lean his elbows onto his knees and placed his head in his palms. “It’s not in the news yet…but they found another kid.” Tadashi creased his brow in confusion. “A body.” The other man clarified. “That case my dad’s been working on. The Origami Killer?” That’s right. Wasabi had mentioned that his father had been on the hunt for a murderer, but not just any murderer. The Origami Killer had claimed the lives of seven victims during the months of September and October over the past three years. The story had resurfaced about a month ago in anticipation of the killer’s return. The victims, all boys between the ages of eleven and fifteen, had disappeared from a public place in broad daylight. They were each found four to five days later, drowned in rainwater. Wasabi’s father was heading the investigation, and was extremely stressed about it. Every lead so far had been a dead end.

“He was drowned?” Tadashi asked softly. “Most likely.” Wasabi sighed. “Last time we spoke, my dad was still waiting for the autopsy report. But all the signs were there. Body in a remote place, no signs of struggle or abuse. The orchid, the origami figure, it’s just so bizarre.” Wasabi sat up, pouring his heart out to his friend. “I think Dad’s at his breaking point. Every new victim is a huge blow to him, ya know? He hardly sleeps anymore. Mom’s worried, and she has every right to be. He spends all of his time cooped up in his office surrounded by pictures of dead kids and he’s constantly being harassed by the media. I’ve never seen him this broken up about a case before. I just wish there was something I could do…not only for him but for the families. They must be living a nightmare.”

Tadashi nodded solemnly He didn’t even want to think about what he would do if Hiro disappeared… So he wouldn’t. He quickly banished the thought from his mind and placed a hand on the larger man’s shoulder.

“Hey. You’re dad’s a smart man.” Tadashi reassured, “ If anyone can catch this creep, it’s him. And he will.”

Just not soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I tried to wait before posting the next chapter. But I'm sitting at school with nothing to do and next thing you know here I am. I want to give a HUGE shout out to Ashley, my best-friend-soul-mate and last-minute-beta-reader. This chapter would have been a train wreck without her. This is probably one of the heavier chapters in terms of content because there was so much background info I needed to explain. From now on they will be more character-specific, and the next chapter is when the REAL good stuff starts B) Thanks to you all for reading!


	3. Where's Hiro

**Chapter 2: Where's Hiro?**

_Losing your life is not the worst thing that can happen. The worst thing is to lose your reason for living.― Jo Nesbø_

Hiro had gotten pale. Tadashi couldn't help but notice as he leaned over his brother's shoulder to check his progress. The Hamadas were not naturally dark skinned, in fact they were more fair. But Hiro was losing the little color he did have by staying cooped up in the garage.

Tadashi had no room to preach about getting caught up in a project. He had eighty-four tests recorded on a nurse bot to convict him. Even so, the SFIT showcase was weeks away, and the microbots were progressing nicely. So the older brother thought he should shake things up.

“Hey. Let's go to the park.” He ruffled the teen's hair as he walked away, grabbing his gray cardigan from the desk.

“Why? I'm working.” The younger replied, not taking his eyes from the screen.

“Yeah, and that's all you've been doing for two weeks now.” Tadashi crossed his legs and leaned against the couch. “You're doing great, but you need to get out more.”

“I get out!” Hiro defended, finally spinning the chair to face his brother as he crossed his arms defiantly.

“Really? When was the last time you left the garage?”

“This morning!”

“Why?”

“I... had to go to the bathroom...” Hiro scratched his neck as he dug through his brain for a better excuse.

“Exactly.” Tadashi smirked, “C'mon, bonehead. Let's get you some fresh air.”

Hiro gestured towards the open garage door, which was effectively providing plenty of air. Tadashi did not even blink.

“Not what I mean, little brother.” He tossed over the dark blue jacket that Hiro was so fond of. The boy relented, sticking one arm through the sweater, than the other.

“You're one to talk.” He teased. “I didn't see you for months during your Baymax endeavor.” He jogged after his brother, who was already out the door, and gave his brother a good shove before readjusting the jacket over his small shoulder.

“And I was a mess.” Tadashi replied, flinging an arm around his brother and squeezing him more than a little too tightly. “I probably would have gotten done a lot sooner if I had cut myself some slack. Now let's grab some water before we go.” The man steered them both into the cafe.

The Lucky Cat Cafe was bustling with activity. It was the midday rush, and the boys could spy Aunt Cass running back and forth between customers. Thankfully, the ever independent woman had finally taken her nephew's advice and hired some workers to aid her during the busiest hours of the day. Hiro ran ahead to the fridge and grabbed two water bottles, tossing one to Tadashi, who caught it single-handedly.

“You gonna pay for that?” Aunt Cass seemed to materialize out of thin air as she laughed and nudged Tadashi before setting a tray down on an adjacent table. “Here's your soup, Mrs. Matsuda. You're looking lovely as ever!” She returned her attention to her older nephew, before noticing Hiro as well. “Oh, Hiro! How did Tadashi get you out of your cave?”

“Um... We're just gonna... Go to the park for a few hours. And, yeah.” Hiro attempted to explain as he bit back laughter. Mrs. Matsuda's 'special flair' never failed to amuse. Tadashi rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help the ridiculous smile that appeared on his face.

“I thought it would be a good idea before he gets fat from too many gummy bears.”

“Hey, you supply the gummy bears. You're the enabler.” The younger defended. Aunt Cass smiled at her boys.

“Well I think you should both get out some. Oh, by the way, Tadashi, you got a letter in the mail. It's on the counter over there.” Tadashi lifted a brow and nodded in acknowledgment.

“Sure, Aunt Cass. I’ll read it when I get back, okay?” Tadashi gave the older woman a kiss on the cheek before following after his little brother, who had already done the same and was heading outside.

“Alright, sweetie.” His aunt smiled as she loaded up another tray.

“ Love you, Aunt Cass.” The boys called back in unison

“Love you too, hon. You boys be careful!”

“We will!” And with that Tadashi swooped out the door, hardly thinking of his response.

* * *

“Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen- Ah! Dang it!” Hiro exclaimed as the ball thumped against the grass. The teen balanced the soccer ball in the curvature of his foot before tossing it back up and bumping it with his chest, the kicking it again.

“Hey!” Tadashi called from about thirty feet down the field. “Quit showing off and kick the ball!”

“I am kicking it! Seven, Eight...” The boy smirked. Tadashi rolled his eyes, again. He was getting bored watching his brother trying to break his own record of juggling a soccer ball. “Just because you can only keep the ball up for what, three seconds?”

“Whatever. At least I can kick your butt in baseball.” The older brother responded. Tadashi prided himself when it came to baseball, and while he was decent at soccer, there was no doubt that Hiro could dribble circles around him. How could such a scrawny kid be so good at sports, anyway? His brother just laughed and bounced the ball off of his head. The force sent the ball a bit too far, and Hiro was unable to reach it before it hit the ground, causing him to sigh in defeat.

“I am going to get this.” Hiro shrugged off his sweater and let it fall to the ground behind him.

“You should keep that on.” Tadashi crossed his arms, accepting the fact that he would not be touching the ball anytime soon. “It's gonna rain soon. You don't want to catch a cold.” Hiro scoffed and tossed the ball back into the air.

“Thanks, Aunt Cass.” He continued his hypnotic dance with the ball. This time he got up to sixteen, his past record, before losing control once more. The ball rolled a bit before coming to a complete stop, and Hiro was anything but pleased. He let out a grunt of frustration and kicked the ball as hard as he could, causing it to fly far over Tadashi's head and over the chain link fence that separated the field from the playground.

“Nice going, bonehead.” Tadashi joked.

“Yeah, yeah.” Hiro sighed. “I'll get it.” He jogged past his brother and hopped over the fence. Tadashi waited, idly kicking the ground beneath his feet. It had only been a minute when his head began to throb. It spiraled quickly from there. The pounding grew in intensity. Tadashi gripped his head to steady himself. The damp grass began to blend with the dim sky, until he could see nothing but a multicolored blur.

“Hiro!” Tadashi shouted, but a roll of thunder interrupted his cry, “H-Hiro...” he fell to his knees to lessen the fall. He felt his heartbeat resonate in his eardrums, then there was nothing.

* * *

The first thing Tadashi noticed was a blinding light. The light approached rapidly, and Tadashi froze in utter terror.

_Toushiro! Look out!_

A mangled scream ripped out of Tadashi's throat as his eyes snapped open, adrenaline rushing through his veins. But the light was gone

“Wha-where?” He could not bring the words past his tongue as he attempted to gather his bearings. He was soaked to the bone, lying on equally soaked pavement as fat drops of rain assaulted his vision. How had he gotten there? He remembered the pain, the blurred vision... He must have had another blackout. But that did not explain why he found himself three blocks from the park where he and Hiro had been-

Hiro.

Where was he? Tadashi felt his heart hammer in his chest as he hurriedly fished through his pockets for his phone. Maybe Hiro had called... But it was no use. His phone had been cracked sometime during his blackout, and water had seeped through the cracks. It was damaged beyond repair. With unsteady legs, the man brought himself to his feet and stumbled forward, splashing carelessly through a large puddle. He sprinted through the rain, refusing to slow his pace until he knew his brother was safe.

God, he would never forgive himself for this.

“Hiro!” He hollered as loud as he could as he finally reached the park. He paid no attention to the mud that splattered all the way up to his thighs. “Hiro!” He caught sight of something white in the corner of his vision. He scurried over, desperate for any sign of his brother, but what he saw sent his heart straight to his stomach.

The soccer ball that waited for him read 'Hamada' in bold letters; and what was worse: it was nestled snugly in a worn dark blue hoodie. With shaking hands, Tadashi lifted the sweater up to his face, hoping closer inspection would prove it did not belong to his brother. There was no way... That was Hiro's favorite jacket, he would never leave it behind... He turned it frantically in his hands, searching frantically for anything to distinguish this jacket from his brothers. But it was the same. Down to the stitches patching up past rips and tears from haywire experiments. It was undoubtedly Hiro's.

He felt something in one of the pockets and scrambled to see what it was. Gripping at it desperately, Tadashi pulled out a single paper crane. An origami crane. His mind went blank for a moment, that single word echoing in his head: Origami, origami, origami... The origami killer.

Tadashi's brain went into overdrive recalling all of the news reports, the stories, everything that Wasabi had told him. An origami figure, drowning in rainwater, disappeared in public, thirteen to fifteen years old, drowned in rainwater. Drowned. Killed. Killer. A panicked sob racked Tadashi's body. No, no, there was no way.

“Hiro!” He screamed through tears. He managed to stumble over to the playground where he had last seen his brother, but there was still no sign of him. He had to have gone home. This must be some sort of prank Hiro was pulling. In fact, the brat was probably at home laughing about it to Mochi. That had to be what happened. If it were the case, Tadashi swore under his breath, he would kill the kid himself. “Hiro, I swear!” He yelled to no one in particular.

Even though he knew, he knew Hiro was home, he knew it, he sprinted home, his legs pumping as fast as he could manage, screaming Hiro's name until his voice was hoarse. He payed no attention to traffic or crossing signs, not slowing down even after the Lucky Cat Cafe came into view. It was dark, and the cafe was closed. Even so Tadashi yanked desperately at the door, desperate to get inside. Aunt Cass had been sweeping up for the night, but the broom clattered to the ground as she jumped in response to the sudden violent pounding on the door. She scurried over to the door, recognizing her older nephew in the dim lighting, and fiddled with her keys, eager to get him out of the rain.

The instant the door was unlocked, Tadashi barreled in, nearly knocking the poor woman over. Trembling fingers gripped the woman’s forearms to steady her, and desperate brown eyes darted around the cafe.

“Geez, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” Aunt Cass laughed half heartedly, unsure of her nephew's uncharacteristic unease. “Speaking of heart attacks, where have you been? I've been calling you boys for the past hour an-”

“Is Hiro home?”

“What?”

“Hiro. Is he here? Have you seen him?” Aunt Cass’ brows furrowed in confusion and concern.

“He was with you… Okay, what are you boys trying to pull now.” Her own heartbeat began to race, “Tadashi, please. You boys give me enough heart attacks as it is, and my diet really does not have room for any more stress eating.”

“Oh, my God...” Was all Tadashi could choke out. He must have sneaked in through the back. He was in their room right now. Hiro was always sneaking around. He stumbled away from his aunt, absentmindedly leaving Hiro's sweater with her as he crushed the origami figure in his palm. “Hiro!” He screamed as loud as his tired voice would let him as he took the stairs three at a time to get to their room. “Hiro, this isn't funny!” He swung the door open and immediately checked every square inch of the space, ripping the covers off of both of their beds even though he knew it would not do any good. After he had torn the room apart, he searched hopelessly for any corner he could have missed. Nothing. There was absolutely nothing. He glared down at the origami figure in his hand, and the nightmare finally became real. “No!” He cried through heaving sobs.

“Tadashi!” Aunt Cass screamed with a trembling voice. He had not even noticed she had followed him. “You are scaring me. Explain. Right now.” Tadashi could not remember the last time he had seen his surrogate mother so angry, but nothing could upset him more than the inevitable fact that his little brother was gone. Gone. He simply stared at her like a deer in the headlights for seconds that stretched on like hours. His breath punched at his ribcage, his heart shattering and the pieces ripping into everything on their way to his feet.

Aunt Cass approached gingerly, afraid the wrong move would break her nephew entirely. She had no clue what had happened, but whatever it was had him completely shaken.

“Tadashi...” She touched his shoulder and turned him to face her. There was no resistance, no energy in his body. “Tadashi, Where is Hiro?” The older woman fought back tears of worry that were evident in her voice. Slowly, so slowly, Tadashi lifted his face, now tear stained, to look into hers. Her green eyes shone with concern and care, and Tadashi felt like a lost child under her gaze. Even after the death of his parents, he had not felt so lost. At least then he knew he had to be strong, he had to be strong for Hiro. But now Hiro was gone, and Tadashi had nothing to cling to. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to say the words, to make it real.

“He's... He's....” His entire body wracked with a sob. “I don't know, I-I don't know!” The words spilled from his mouth as he collapsed into his aunt's arms. She held him without hesitation. “I don't know!” He heaved between sobs. But that was only partly true. He knew enough. Enough to know that his brother only had five more days at most, and he knew the weight of the origami figure he held crushed in his palm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: THE PLOT THICKENS! Lol this is so behind on this site, but hey better late then never. From here on out the narratives are going to be kind of tricky, because there will be multiple points of view. If you have ever played Heavy Rain you will understand why (basically the four story lines converge at the end) and i really don’t know why i’m making it so difficult for myself but ha ha oh well someone stop me. One more note: I know the chapter titles aren’t that creative, but I’m taking those directly from the game, and only changing them a little to fit the BH6 universe (ie. Brothers instead of Father and Son, Where’s Hiro instead of Where’s Shaun) But yeah thats all for now folks! I’ll be seeing ya soon!


	4. Interlude: 1.326 inches

It was cold. Very cold. And wet. There was a steady dripping, almost rhythmic, echoing against the heavy rainfall farther away.

These were the first things Hiro registered as he drifted back into consciousness. Dark brows scrunched as his eyes fluttered open The boy groaned and gripped his head, fighting an ache.

“Where… Where am I..?”

Hiro pushed himself up on his elbows, hearing the slosh of water as he moved. His eyes drifted downwards, and it finally registered that he had been lying face-up in a puddle.

“What the-?” The teen scrambled to his feet, splashing the murky water in all directions. “Ah damn…”He tugged his soaking shirt away from his skin. “Where the heck am I?”

His gaze shifted around the area. he was in some kind of ditch or hole, mostly mud and dirt with some brick work to give some semblance of structure. Looking up, a dim light glowed through metal bars, about two feet above his head, and random droplets fell into the hole below.

“Wha… Where…?” His mind began to race a mile a minute, trying to figure out where he was, how he got there, and most importantly- where his brother had gone.

“Hello? Anyone there? Tadashi?” His voice bouncing off stone was his only reply. “Hey!” The frustration built in his chest and there was no relief in shouting. “Whoever stuck me in here, it’s not funny! You can let me out now!”

Still no answers but the dripping of rain.

“Oh, come _on_!” Hiro began to pace as he ran his hands though his hair. The puddle covered his sneakers, causing him to splash water with every step. His eyes went to the ground, as they often did when he was in thought.

That’s when he noticed there were no drain pipes.

He was in some sort of drain, that was certain. The kind old factories built to prevent flooding. There should be some sort of drain pipe to release the collected rain water into the sewer system.

But there was none.

“Whoa… Wa-wait wait wait wait-!” The words spilled from his mouth as he groped at the walls, clinging for any opening he could find. There _had_ to be a drain pipe, there was no way someone would just stick him in a hole that would eventually fill with water, not with no way out! As his hands scraped against the brickwork, he caught sight of a discoloration in the wall. The boy wasted no time dropping to his knees to inspect the spot, and as he did his heart sunk.

The spot was maybe half a foot in diameter, just the right size for a drain pipe. Only the stone was glaringly different, much newer than the surrounding wall. Someone had filled in the drain pipe.

Someone wanted Hiro to drown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna throw in a couple of these half chapters because I already miss Hiro and i'm sure you guys do to. So yay


	5. The Station

**Chapter 3: The Station**

_ “The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of the infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.” _

_ ― H.P. Lovecraft _

 

The car ride was quiet. Beside him, Cass stared straight ahead, knuckles white on the steering wheel, jaw clenched and mouth trembling as she tried to stay strong for Tadashi’s sake. 

But he would not have noticed anyway. Tadashi was glaring at the letter clenched in his hands, the one he had neglected to read before leaving for the park with Hiro.

_ ‘Why didn’t you read it?’ _

Maybe if he had, he would have known something was up. Maybe he would have opted to keep Hiro home instead. Maybe Hiro would still be here. If he had only taken a spare minute to read the damn letter, maybe all if this could have been avoided. His fingers tightened as he slouched further down in his seat, causing deeper creases to spread across the dingy page. The words had already been burned into his brain, but he continued to reread them.

_ When the parents came home from church _

_ All their children were gone _

_ They searched and called for them,  _

_ They cried and begged,  _

_ But it was all to no avail. _

_ The children were never seen again. _

He clamped his hand over his eyes, but he did not fight the tears.

But even while all of the facts pointed to what he knew had to be true, Tadashi hoped. He hoped it was not the Origami Killer. Not because he felt optimistic despite Hiro’s disappearance, but because he simply could not bring himself to believe it to be true. To accept the truth would be to kill himself in the despair of having lost his only brother. So he stopped thinking about it. He would go to the police station, tell the officers what had happened, then they would find Hiro in a couple hours, and life would go on as it had before.

* * *

The lights of the police station were bright. A stark contrast to the gloomy outdoors. Tadashi sat under the glaring lights, with no energy. He simply slumped over on the plastic chair, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. He blinked slowly, stray tears still gathered in his eyes. In the corner of his vision, Aunt Cass bounced her leg so quickly it seemed a blur. She was chewing on her knuckle, as she did whenever she had to get Hiro and himself out of trouble. She had always been there for them.

Then he had to go and screw everything up.

“Mr. Hamada?”

His gaze drifted up to meet a large man with a well-kept beard in a crisp blue shirt and a holster on his waist. “That’s me.” He hardly recognized his own voice, sore from the screaming and sobbing of the previous hour. The dark skinned man nodded.

“My name is Detective Gueye. I would like to ask you about your brother’s disappearance.”

Tadashi nodded numbly and stood, eyes unable to focus on any one thing. The Detective turned to Aunt Cass, who had jumped to her feet at his arrival. 

“Ms. Hamada, thank you for your patience, but I would like to speak to your nephew alone. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.” His voice was soft and soothing, filled with the empathy of a man who had suffered similar loss.

Cass glanced at Tadashi, her warm green eyes meeting his dark gaze, searching for reassurance. In that moment, he was a child staring into his mother’s fearful eyes. While he had no power to comfort himself, he found that he so desperately wanted to ease his aunt’s anxiety. 

“I’ll be okay, Aunt Cass. Stay here and rest.” His words were enough for her to nod and relax just slightly. She watched as her nephew was led away, and collapse back into her seat.

* * *

“Take a seat, Mr. Hamada.”

Detective Gueye shut his office door behind them, then made his way over to his desk. 

“Mr. Hamada, this is my partner, Officer Jayden. He’ll be recording the interview, is that alright with you?”  Tadashi noded and briefly made eye contact with the man who had been sitting in the office already. Jayden gave Tadashi a nod of acknowledgment before returning his attention to his digital recorder and notepad.

“Now, Tadashi, can I call you that?” The detective began from behind his desk, and the young man nodded numbly. “Alright then. Tadashi, what happened this afternoon. Every detail you can recall is helpful.”

His question fell on deaf ears. Tadashi sat there, unresponsive.

“Tadashi? I need you to focus right now, alright?” He leaned across the desk slightly, “Can I get you some water?”

Tadashi sat up a bit straighter. He had no desire to be interrogated, but he was here for Hiro’s sake. With this thought, he forced himself to focus. “Um, no sir. I’m sorry, what was the question?”

Gueye chuckled softly, “Just describe the events of the day.” Then, more seriously, “In as much detail as possible.”

“Um… I… I took my brother, Hiro, to the park. He had been working so hard on his SFIT project, I thought some exercise would do him some good, you know?” 

His words were rushed and stuttered. 

“We walked around for a while, then we kicked the soccer ball around. Just like any other day.” 

Recalling the events in the police station, it was as if the whole situation was becoming real all over again. 

“He took off his jacket at one point. I told him not to because it was going to rain and he would catch a cold, but of course he didn’t listen. He’s so thin, I’m surprised he doesn't get sick more often. Stubborn kid, probably wouldn’t tell me even if he did.” He ran a hand across his face.  and cleared his throat before continuing. “Anyway, he threw the jacket on the ground. He kicked the ball hard, too hard, and it went soaring. He went to get it, and then…  Then he was gone.” 

The detective listened patiently the entire time, not showing the slightest bit of aggravation or apathy even when Tadashi had rambled on. “That was the last time you saw your brother?”

“Yes.”

Jayden stared at the recorder, hardly looking up.

“So he just disappeared straight from the park?”

“Yes. Well, I think so. I mean, the ball went over the fence, but not too far… I stayed on the grass.” A grunt of frustration left his chest and he squeezed his eyes shut. “I should have gone with him. I’m always so protective of him, but he’s fourteen. He hates it when I hover. I figured he could at least get a damn soccer ball on his own!” Tadashi’s anger grew with every word. At himself, at his blackouts, at the rain, at the whole goddamn world. “Damn it! I never should have let him out of my sight!” His posture collapsed in defeat.

“Tadashi,” The detective reached over to squeeze the young man’s shoulder lightly, bringing him back to the present, “I know this is hard. I can only imagine how you must be feeling right now, but this is not your fault. These things happen, and from what I gather it’s not because you were neglectful. Now, will you be alright?  Do you need some time?”

Tadashi breathed deeply, trying his hardest to calm his racing mind. “No. No, I’m sorry.” He mumbled through his hands.

“No need.” Gueye allowed a small smile to ease the tension. “Now, do you remember what time you arrived at the park? Be as specific as you can.” Tadashi took another deep breath before he spoke.

“It… It must have been… four, four fifteen. Yeah, we left the diner a few minutes after four, and it’s about a ten minute walk to the park.”

“Do you remember what he was wearing when he disappeared?”

“Of course. His favorite shirt. It’s a red tee with a Gundam on the front, or a transformer, I guess. Khaki shorts, knee length… black converse with yellow laces.” Tadashi chuckled half-heartedly, but the smile did not reach his eyes. “He wore the same thing almost every day.”

“One second,” Jayden spoke for the first time since the interview began, “You said you had taken your brother to the park around four fifteen, and I assume it wasn't long after that he disappeared?”

“No…maybe a half an hour later?”

“So the kid disappeared at around four forty-five. But you didn’t report him missing until eight-thirty. That’s almost four hours. Why wait so long?” Jayden’s tone was innocent enough, but the skeptical look on his face made it very clear that he should answer carefully.

Even Tadashi’s blood seemed to freeze at the question. Why hadn’t he reported Hiro’s disappearance immediately? Well, he’d been God-knows-where suffering from a blackout, before he woke up in the middle of the street blocks away from where his brother had been. But he couldn’t tell that to the police.

“I…” His heart was beating a mile a minute. Should he tell the truth? The blackouts had been a secret between Hiro and himself, and this was the worst possible scenario for said secret to come to light. The police would certainly tell Aunt Cass… 

“I was in a panic. I was running around searching for him.” At least that was partially true. Aunt Cass did not need any more stress right now. He had done enough already.

“What about any difficulties? Did your brother have any reason to run away?”

“No!” He caught himself yelling, and took a couple breaths, “No, back then, he would sneak out occasionally, but he would never just run off without saying anything. He knows how much Aunt Cass and I worry. Besides he stopped getting into trouble once he decided to apply to The Institute.”

“He stopped getting into trouble? What kind of trouble would he get into?” Jayden probed further.

“Well… Look Hiro’s a smart kid. He has all this intelligence and innovation and once he finished high school he had no outlet for it. So he took up bot-fighting behind our backs. But once he decided to go to college, he gave up on it.”

“Was he any good at it?” Jayden asked.

“The best.” Tadashi said with a touch of pride.

“Hm.” Jayden mused, “He must have made a lot of enemies then. That crowd doesn’t take kindly to newcomers. Especially if they're better than them.”

Tadashi’s blood ran cold. “You don’t think… Oh God… who knows what they’ll do to him…”

“Now, Tadashi, nothing is certain yet. That was just speculation.” Detective Gueye shot Jayden a pointed glance, unhappy at the other’s bluntness. “For all we know this could have nothing to do with bot fighting. But Tadashi…” Gueye pursed his lips in thought, as though he were getting ready to say something he truly did not want to believe. “I have to let you know… The profile… We can’t say for sure yet, because some pieces of the puzzle are still missing. But this does fit the MO* of the Origami Killer.”

If Tadashi’s blood was cold before, now it was frozen in his veins. Until this moment Tadashi had truly forgotten about the possibility. The detective continued to talk, but Tadashi only heard bits and pieces as Gueye and Jayden went back and forth. His mind raced as he heard them put together the evidence that he himself had not long ago considered.

“...a rainy night in September...”

“...between the ages of eleven and fifteen...”

“...without a trace…”

“...but there was no origami figure this time...”

Tadashi shot up in his seat at the mention of the origami figure. 

_ ‘Oh  _ **_shit_ ** _...’ _

“Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait. When Hiro disappeared I was running around everywhere looking for him and I ended up back at the park and I found his hoodie and our soccer ball, and…” Tadashi began to frantically pat and dig into his pockets. He froze as he brushed his finger along the soft crease of a crumpled piece of damp paper. He slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket. “This...was on top of it.” He opened his hand to reveal the folded paper which had once been an origami figure. The creases were still visible, but the shape had been crushed beyond recognition. “It was a crane. An origami crane.”

Detective Gueye stared at the deformed crane with wide eyes before gingerly taking it from Tadashi’s palm, almost as if it would explode if he moved too quickly. He inspected it carefully, his expression growing darker by the second. Tadashi looked down at the figure, and back at Gueye. This time, he saw his eyes brimming with sadness. Gueye and Jayden exchanged an understanding look, with the younger cop giving a small nod. This was not the first time they had seen this.

“Tadashi, thank you for your cooperation.” The detective stood from his chair and made his way to the door. “That’s all we have to ask you for now. If we find any clues or think of any other questions, we’ll give you a call.” He opened the door to see the young man out. Tadashi continued to stare at the figure, which was now sitting on the large wooden desk in front of him. He could hear the click of the digital recorder being turned off. 

“Do you think...could it be the Origami Killer?” His question was barely a whisper, but the detective heard it nonetheless. There was a few moments of silence.

“Now, Tadashi… It’s completely possible that Hiro could have run away. I’m sure we will find him in a few hours-”

“But what if he didn’t?” Tadashi shot up from his seat, desperate for a straight answer. His full attention was on the detective now. “What if the Origami Killer took my brother?” His voice cracked, the full reality of that possibility sinking in yet again. But this time, he could not escape the truth. Detective Gueye closed his eyes for a moment, as if running over all of the possible scenarios in his head. He inhaled sharply.

“If that’s true...then we have about four days to find Hiro alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *MO - Modus Operandi, or a particular way or method of doing something. Often used to describe particular patterns of behavior in criminals.
> 
> This chapter has been up on FF, but now its finally on AO3! The next chapter is about halfway through and I will not rest until it is done, so hahA!   
> PS. I noticed in a pervious chapter Tadashi mentioned that the ages of the victims was 13-15. It is 11-15. Continuity error on my part my bad *sweats*

**Author's Note:**

> Finally made it to AO3! It's been on FF for a few months now, but I couldn't wait to upload it here as soon as I finally got the account. Shoutout to ghosticles on tumblr, whose fanart inspired me to write this all out in the first place! I'll put the link in my bio for those who want to check it out (and I highly suggest you do, it's amazing). This is my first huge fic, I've only ever done onsets before so i'm pretty intimidated by the sheer size of this fic. I have an entire notebook filled with just brainstorming... That being said, I already have the plot mapped out in messy notes, all that's left is to type it out into coherent sentences. I have the a couple more chapters up on FF, but i'll try to space out my updates on here so you don't have to wait as long. Also: no promises on updating. I guarantee it will be inconsistent, but I will finish this. If it kills me.


End file.
